Clarksville Elementary School
Also known as: Clarksville Grade School
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Clarksville Elementary School is a one-story, steel-framed school at 58 Verda Lane in the hamlet of Clarksville, Albany County. Clad in clinker brick and concrete, it opened in fall 1949 after the community's earlier small school closed following a coal gas incident in 1942. Architect Henry L. Blatner, drawing on lighting research from his graduate work at M.I.T., aligned the classroom wing east to west so that light entered from both north and south. Clerestory windows, glass blocks and sunscreens help even out daylight and reduce glare. The building was designed to grow in modules, and a gymnasium, library, kitchen, offices and a kindergarten room were added in 1954. Later additions came in 1966, 1968 and 2004. Original features such as asphalt floor tiles, built-ins, vaulted classroom ceilings and colorful ceiling panels survive. The school is valued for its modern design, its coverage in national architectural publications, and its role in local education history.
Significance in brief: The school is presented as an intact and rare example of a mid-twentieth century designed school. It reflects the development of education in rural Clarksville after WWII. Architect Henry L. Blatner designed it around bilateral daylighting and a modular plan that could expand over time, and it drew attention in national architectural journals.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08000580, listed July 3, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 58 Verda Lane, Clarksville |
|---|---|
| County | Albany County |
| Listed | July 3, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000580 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1949-1954 |
| Architect / builder | Henry L. Blatner |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a school; the 1960s and 2004 additions are considered compatible but non-historic, and some original windows have been replaced with sympathetic replicas. |
| Acreage | 14 |
| Coordinates | 42.57884, -73.95436 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08000580.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5127688
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.